Rope-laying machine.



W. L. TOBEY.

ROPE LAYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001231; 1910.

Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

WILLIAM L. ITOBEY, or. wmnaop, MASSACHUSETTS.

RornLAYING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Applicationfiled October 31, 1910. SerialNo; .ss'sgeoo;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIA'LL L. ToBnY, a citizen of the United States, residing in lVinthrop, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Rope-Laying Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

The present inventionrelates tov a: rope laying machine, and is embodied in amas chine having an improved tension devicewhereby the tension on the strands is maintained substantially constant throughout the entire unwinding of the bobbins on the flier. The machine to which the invention relates is of that type in which the Strands are already twisted before being placed on the bobbins, the function of the machine being merely to lay and finish the rope. It has been the usual practice, in machines of this type, to supply the necessary tension on the strands by means of brakes applied to the bobbins themselves, the result being that the tension will vary with the variationand diameter of the bobbins as the strands unwind. In the machine embodying the present invention, the main flier is provided with tension devices located between the bobbins and the layer head, there being interposed between the tension device and the bobbin, a strand leader acted upon by a yielding force, as that of gravity, the force acting on the leader being merely sufficient to pull the strand from the bobbin under an even tension.

In the construction shown, the main flier is provided with vertical bobbin-fliers adapted to be rotated through gears in the usual way as they revolve with the main flier, and the strand leaders consist of weighted strand guides adapted to travel up and down vertical guide members as the strand leaves the bobbin, which is free to rotate on the bobbin spindle, as the strand is pulled off.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the flier and laying head of a machine embodying the invention, parts being shown in section; and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, on the line as of Fig. 1.

In the construction shown, the main flier consists of the usual rotating spiders carried by a vertical shaft A which is adapted to be rotated as by a gear A the said flier having bobbin-fliers for three rotatable bobbins B, each bobbin-flier being provided with a gear 13 meshing with an internal gearlocated below the maln flier. The

rotating shaft A isprovided at the topwith 1 the layer head A3 through whichthe several strands are carried to the rope guide D at the top of the machine in the usual way. I

In accordance with the invention, the machine is providedwithastrand leader a, for each bobbin, the said leaders being arranged to bear against the strand as the latter passes off the bobbin, so as to guide the strand as it comes off the successive layers and to maintain a substantially even tension thereon.

In the construction shown, the bobbins stand vertically in the bobbin fliers, and the strand leaders a consist of slides provided with eyes a for the strands, said slides having sufiicient weight to maintain the desired tension, and being arranged to travel on vertical guides a mounted on the fliers parallel to the bobbins. If the strand comes away too rapidly from the bobbin, the leader will move in a direction to cause a more direct pull of the thread toward one end of the bobbin, thus increasing the bearing friction and retarding the bobbin correspondingly.

It is obviously not essential that the bob- Patented Nov. 11, 11913.1

bins and fliers should be vertically disposed,

but such an arrangement is entirely practicable and admits of utilizing gravity as the yielding force acting on the strand leaders.

Between the leader and the layer head is interposed a tension device 1;, consisting of a sheave or capstan capable of rotation, and being frictionally acted upon by a brake b the strand being Wound one or more times around the said sheave, and then carried through a guide 0 to the layer head A. The brake is preferably spring actuated and is shown as provided with a spring 12 located between the brake and an adjustable head Z), whereby the tension of the spring can be varied.

By this construction, it is obvious that the tension on the strands will remain the same, regardless of the diameter of the bobbin which varies with the removal of the strand therefrom, the guiding and even tension of the strand, as it leaves the bobbin, being taken care of by the leader a, while the unvariable tension of the strand at the layer head is maintained by the adjustable tension device I).

What I claim is: a

1. In a rope-laying machine, the combination of a layer-head; a flier; rotatable bobbin-holders carriedby said flier; freely rotatable bobbins in said bobbin-holders; a strand leader carried by each bobbin-holder, said leader being longitudinally movable on a guide parallel to the axis of the bobbin; a strand-guide at the top of each bobbinholder through which the strand passes to thelayer-head; and a tension device located between said strand-holder and said strandguide.

2. In arope-laying machine, the combina tion of a layer-head; a flier; rotatable bob- Gopies' of this patent may be obtained for bin-holders carried by said flier; freely rotatable bobbins in said bobbin-holdersstrand leader carried by each bobbin-holder, said leader being longitudinally movable on a guide parallel to the axis of the bobbin; a strand-guide at the top of each bobbinholder through which the strand passes to the layer-head; a tension sheave located between said strand-leader and said strandguide; and an adjustable brake cooperating with said sheave to regulate the tension.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' WILLIAM L. TOBEY. Witnesses:

JAs. J. MALoNnY, M. E. COVENEY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

